THE LAGUNA BEACH PIRATE TOWER

This 60-­foot Victorian turret, also known as “La Tour” clings to a cliffside near Victoria Beach in the city of Laguna Beach. It is made of poured concrete and stands atop an ocean stone foundation on what is known as Sugarloaf Point. To many, the tower looks like an ancient lighthouse or lookout tower, perhaps used by pirates to spot approaching enemy ships. And while this may be where it’s common name “The Pirate Tower” came from, it was never built or used for this purpose.

In reality, the tower is a spiral staircase designed to provide access from the top of the cliff down to the beach. It was built along with the Norman­-style home on the cliff above in 1926 for California State Senator William Edward Brown and his family. William and his wife Mary Eleanor drew their inspiration for the tower’s design from chateaus and castles they saw while spending time in France at the end of WWI.

The pirate legend is not completely without merit, however. In the 1940s, the Browns sold their home to a retired naval officer named Harold Kendrick, who was quite fond of the pirate tower in his new back yard. A pirate aficionado, himself, Kendrick would frequently dress up as a pirate and invite the neighborhood children over for games and scavenger hunts in and around the old tower. He would also hide coins in the tower’s many crevices for the kids to find.

Over the years, the house and La Tour have changed owners several times. Most recently, the property was owned by Bette Midler.For more information on how to find the pirate tower for yourself, please watch the video.